“Man looks at the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV).
“For
we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV).
God does not care about
your outer appearance. He cares about your heart. Let me give you an example from the Bible. When
David’s brother was considered for king, God rejected him. He wanted someone
who trusted in God so He chose a shepherd boy named David. God said about
David’s brother, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have
rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at
the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV). So how does your heart measure up? Is it
surrendered to the Lord’s will? Are you praying about His plan for your life?
God made each one of us
with a special plan and we do not have to be perfect on the outside to do it. “For
we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV). All of us, men and
women, have good works to do for the Lord that He has prepared ahead of time
for us. It is up to us to do them.
It does not matter how old
we are or how we look, we are to be doing God’s will in our lives. God created
us to be the ones to help others who are in great need. Each of you has a
specific purpose. If you do not do it, then nobody else will.
It is not enough for us to
say. “Why Lord, are you letting all these bad things happen to people?” We are to be the ones to help them. He created
us to do good works such as: give money to those in need, give food to those
who are hungry, and encourage those who are lonely, ill, or sad. These are only
a few things that we can do for Him. If you pray, God will place on your heart
what you can do for Him to help others. Then do it.
This week do what you can
for others and do His will. Stop fretting about your appearance. Work on
getting your heart aligned to the Lord’s will for your life.
Dear Lord,
We oftentimes get all
caught up in our outer appearances, when we need to take a long look at what is
in our hearts and if our plans are measuring up to what you would want us to
do. Help us to always do your good works that you have prepared in advance for
us to do.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
